Tara V.'s Profile

I had heard great reviews for this place from friends and the reviews on here are all quite positive... so maybe my expectations where just too high.  I didn't love it.  It was ok on some accounts but just overall not that great.

We went for a laid-back dinner on a Friday... and it definitely is laid-back which was great.  Since we were planning to eat, we headed to the back room which has a few tables... the music was not coming through back here so it was just loud conversations from the neighboring tables which didn't help the atmosphere.  

I ordered a Stella which was very stale tasting so moved on to the 312 which was definitely better.  My chicken sandwich was really more greasy than I go for in bar food.  

I might give it a second chance if just for the patio during the summer but I won't be rushing back.

This place is pretty decent.  I would go here again if in the area.  Overall, it is pretty much typical for a tavern & grill.  They have a nice beer selection- my husband was quite pleased with the options.  The food was ok- typical bar good but sometimes you just want a burger and so it works.  It wasn't too packed (which was nice as I am not one to want people standing over my table while I am eating and they are waiting for a seat) and still had a good energy.

Order the mac-n-cheese bites- yum!

What a great place to go for dinner.  It is a fantastic choice for a date night or for a girls night.  

The atmosphere is so warm and inviting.  It is a little cozy in there and the tables are fairly close together.  The candle lighting and warm tones of the decor all this to be cozy rather than annoying.  The open kitchen is nicely set up and adds a bit of energy.  The service was excellent- attentive and casual.

The wine is tasty and there is a nice variety to choose from.  The food is a bit on the "fancy" side but there is enough variety in there that someone as picky as me will still be able to find something they will enjoy.  

The prices range but lend towards a "nicer" evening out- we were able to enjoy an appetizer, our 2 entrees, and shared a carafe of spicy red all for right at $50- not so bad for a mid-week date night.

We will definitely be going back to Volo!

Brian is an incredibly talented photographer who is also an extremely wonderful person.  We are beyond thrilled with both our wedding photographs and our engagment photos taken by Brian.  He truly captures a moment and seeing the photographs can take you straight back.  

Brian was truly a delight to work with and I would without hesitation work with him again.  He has such a wonderful character and it leads to outstanding service.  We had numerous guests and family comment on how impressed they were with Brian both at the wedding and then again when they saw our photographs.  

I highly recommend Brian Kinyon Photography.  After my first meeting with him I completely trusted that he would do a fantastic job and even with those high expectations he was able to exceed them.

This place is just so incredible cute that you can't help but feel all cozy and content.  We have been here numberous times, always on a weekend, and each time we enjoyed ourselves.  The wine selection is good, the food is tasty and and reasonable priced, and the ambiance is wonderful.  And somehow it feels like a hidden little local spot as you enter on the side of the building and could just as easily miss the door if you aren't looking...

I personally love the random decor that ends up looking just right and the living room-esque setting.  It is "comfortably crowded" or maybe intimate is the right word.  One time when we were here they were playing a wonderful set of French music that just completely topped off the cute atmosphere.  

The service is just right... I think we have had the same server every time and they are available yet not in your face and never rushed.  Perfect for when you just want to enjoy each other's company.

I would imagine this to be a wonderful second date place... or for the marrieds it is a fantastic date night location.

Eeek!  This place is not doing so well.  It is a shame as there are few Thai delivery options in the West Loop.  How can you mess it up when you have so little for competition?

Nice neighborhood watering hole.  It is often easy to score a seat and enjoy a few pints.  I would say this place is pretty average, it really is just a neighborhood bar.  They have fairly decent specials and the food is ok.  If you live in the area and are in walking distance- check it out.  But I am not sure that I would make a special trip to the West Loop just for the sake of going here.  It does get a few extra points with me for not being pretentious and just being a comfortable place to chat with friends while drinking a beer.

Updating this review based on my experience using Sweet Mandy B's for our wedding to take away a star.

I still have them at 4 stars but it was close to going down to 3.  Their bakery is full of tasty treats that I adore but their service for orders is fairly poor.

We ordered cupcakes for our wedding; 3 flavors of cake with an associated flavor of buttercream frosting.  When I placed the order I instantly knew that they could mess it up big time.  At least three times of:
me saying "white cake"
the SMB's girl "ok, yellow cake"
me "no! white cake"
and so on for each flavor.  

Day of wedding, my DOC goes to pick up the cupcakes and they are "missing."  That is right, they sold my order to someone else.  Then tried to pawn off the wrong flavors.  To their credit, they then baked the flavors that I requested and had them ready... just a few hours late.  

They taked wonderful and everyone loved them.  But just a cautionary tale to check and double check your order with them.  I still love Sweet Mandy B's but will be hesitant to place a large order with them unless they can get their act together a bit more for that type of service.

Bruce married my husband and I in July 2008 and he was completely wonderful to work with.  

We were looking for someone who would work with us to create a non-religious yet "spiritual" ceremony and would give us creative control yet provide a warm presence for our very intimate wedding.  Bruce  was perfect.  He has such a wonderful presence and is a delight to work with.

After our ceremony our guest were asking us if we had known him for years and were complimenting us on how heartfelt the ceremony was.  Several guest were so impressed with Bruce that they stated that he was the best officiant they had seen.  

I very highly recommend working with Bruce Otto for you wedding.  He really is a joy to work with and I am so happy that we found him.

I would love to give these guys a better review... but their management is really disappointing.  I love that there is a lot of history but lets not rest on our laurels guys.

They need to "freshen up" the place a lot.  It is very close to teetering over the edge towards run down.  The hallways smell.  The decor is tired.  The furniture is overbearing in the smaller rooms.

If you are planning to have a room block here be aware of the poor management.  We were promised, in writing upgrades for all the rooms.  I was there when my parents checked in with the letter promising upgrades but received some story about how that was only certain rooms... um yeah that is not what it says.  They were to deliver the welcome bags for my guests... they did not deliver a single one.  I had to have my guests go back to the front desk to pick them up after the rehearsal when I found out that none had been delivered.  Then they gave my sister the welcome bag for a different wedding that was there that weekend. Nice.

They were to have the "skyline room" all set up for us with beverages and what not... the room wasn't even unlocked and they sent my hair stylist to the wrong floor.  

They are very unorganized and need to rehab before they fall much further.  It is a fine hotel for visiting if you can get a deal on the room but I would not pay full price and would very cautious with using them for a wedding room block.